Strong Medicine
by HalloweenJack
Summary: In the year of our Lord 1897, The Seward Home for the Mentally Insane gets a new resident.


I own nothing. So stop hassling me, ya hippies.

London, Late 1897

    Clippity-clop-clippity-clop. 

    Horse hooves and carriage wheels created a small symphony of echoes as the coach went down the cobble road. Its sole occupant read through files he had recently obtained quite hastily. His eyes skimmed over the document and he was deep in thought. Flipping through the pages he began to piece together the events that had happened. To say that they were disheartening was an understatement. This was bad. This was very bad. Sliding the papers back into their envelope, he stared ahead at his destination: the insane asylum where one Arthur Seward practiced. He eyed the building with a certain hesitancy, but also anticipation. All matters would be resolved in time of course. This night would resolve many issues that had so lately been pressing London.

    The horses neighed as the coachman pulled their reins. They stopped and with them the carriage. A man, not too old and not too young, was outside waiting with a good number of orderlies. The coachman gracefully leapt down and opened the door allowing the occupant of the coach to exit. He was a tall man, young, with slightly longer than average brown hair and a good build. He smiled and strode up to the older man at the steps of the asylum. 

    "Dr. Seward?" he asked hopefully. 

    "Yes. And you would be Dr. McCormick, is that right?" Dr. Seward asked, extending his hand. 

    "Yes sir." McCormick said with a smile. 

    "You look awfully young to be a doctor." Seward said, taking in the younger man's appearance.

    "Well sir, despite my boyish good looks, I assure you that I'm a tad bit older than I appear." McCormick smiled his British accent very proper. 

    "Quite." Seward said slapping McCormick on the back as if they were lifelong chums, "Come along then. We have much to discuss inside."

    "Yes sir." McCormick said in reply. Then he looked back to his coachman, "Stay around Basil. I shant be long."

    "Of course Guvner." The coachman replied. 

    Seward led McCormick through an endless series of hallways, past the pleasant exterior of the first few offices. The walls soon became dingier, dirtier. The area grew less and less pleasant and more unkempt. Wails of sorrow and screams echoed. McCormick seemed a bit uncomfortable as he and Seward traversed deeper into the belly of the beast. Seward smirked at the young man's unease in a new situation. Everyone had it in their early days of practice. They approached a small set of stairs and began an even further into the musty underworld of the insane asylum. 

    Seward turned to McCormick and said, "This is our "special" wing. We keep a different breed of crazies down here."

    "Crazies sir? Isn't that a bit…unprofessional?" McCormick asked. Seward replied with a laugh. 

    "I like to think that I'm a fair man Dr. McCormick. I try to treat all my patients with dignity and respect, but these things…they're not people. Not really. I trust Professor Van Helsing explained that to you?" Seward asked as they walked down a very narrow hallway, slamming sounds echoing out from behind the iron doors. 

    McCormick gulped, "Yes, he did. Still, it IS rather hard to believe. Vampires being real. Had you told me that six months ago I would have said you were pulling my leg, sir."

    "I shared that opinion myself not long ago, so there would have been two of us who saw it as nothing more than a lot of poppycock. But I tell you sir; I have seen things that simply cannot be explained away. Since the involvement with the Transylvanian Count, well I changed my tune." Seward said, stopping near the end of the hall. 

    "Yes. Professor Van Helsing made a believer out of me as well, but I still find it rather hard to believe. I mean walking corpses that feed on blood? It's all so hard to swallow. I mean I've never even SEEN a vampire before."

    "Well, you're surrounded by them now. Each one of these special cells contains a vampire. Van Helsing and the Council came up with this idea you know. Using this asylum as a front to hold these dreadful bastards, excuse my language, before extracting them and disposing of them." Seward explained, "While the creatures disgust me, they also fascinate me. This latest capture in particular. She not only appears to be one of the undead, but also quite insane."

    "And so I am here to validate your diagnosis?" McCormick asked. 

    "As any good doctor worth his fee would tell you, always ask for a second opinion." Seward said walking to the last door on the left in this hall. He slid open a peephole on the cast iron door then bid McCormick to come over and have a look see. 

    McCormick swallowed hard and looked into the hole. Sitting on the other side of the dark cell, nearly invisible in the dark, was a simply beautiful woman. She wore an expensive silk gown that was now very dirty and torn from her capture. Her hair, as near as could be told, was ebon silk hanging about her shoulders. Her pale skin appeared to be soft, milky, ivory. And her eyes, her eyes were mesmerizing: large, round, and absolutely beautiful. She looked over to the peephole and screamed as loud shriek at the top of her lungs. McCormick jumped back and the creature in the cell began to laugh excitedly. 

    "Did you hear that Miss Edith?" she said to no one, "New faces are starting to show and tell. The wind whispered it to me I think. It told me…it told me…."

    She stood and rushed the door but didn't get very far when her chains held her tight, "It told me that these naughty boys who keep me locked away would soon be punished for treating me so wickedly. Shame shame boys…when Daddy gets home you'll get a thrashing."

    She sat back down and cackled as madly as before and began to sing offhandedly, "Run and catch, run and catch….run and catch…."

    "Dear God." McCormick said, his jaw quivering before Seward shut the peephole. 

    "Yes. She's totally mad. Do you agree with me in this regard?" Seward asked, as the haunting melody of her voice, while muffled, still echoed. 

    McCormick nodded. Seward slapped him on the back. 

    "Come then. You've seen enough of this for now. We can go to my office for a glass of brandy before you have to be off. I expect you'll be making frequent visits here to more properly evaluate our findings?" Seward asked. 

    McCormick nodded, "Yes. Before she's liquidated by the Council. She's so eerie, yet fascinating."

    "God yes. I only wish I had more time to study her. She was brought in a few nights ago. It took several of the Council's agents to subdue her. Even then it cost a few their lives. She's frighteningly strong. I suppose that comes partially from her being a vampire and partially from her lunacy." Seward explained. 

    "What do you suppose…made her that way?" McCormick asks. 

    "Some childhood trauma most likely. The way she mentions her father with an almost reverence would seem to indicate that he beat her or worse. Still those ugly matters are past. A brandy then." Seward said with a laugh.

    Minutes later, the two men were laughing in Seward's office. Each man held a single brandy glass in their hand and were drinking heartily. 

    "So then the groundskeeper says to the poor woman, he says " I think they're all crazy except for me and you. And sometimes I wonder about you!"

    McCormick laughed and sipped his brandy. 

    "That's an excellent story sir." McCormick smiled. 

    "Please, call me Arthur." Seward said sitting at his desk. 

    "Only if you call me John!" McCormick replied making both men burst out in laughter again. 

    Once that had subsided, Seward began to observe McCormick again and stated, "I say, you still look a trifle young to be a doctor sir, much less one that holds a doctorate in psychology."

    "Hard work pays off, or so I've been told." McCormick replied. 

    "That it does. It does. So tell me a little about yourself John. I must have bored you to tears with talking about myself and my work, so now you can bore me." Seward snickered. 

    "Oh there isn't much to tell sir. The Professor merely explained the gravity of the situation to me and I leapt at the chance. Scientific curiosity and all that. At first, I was a bit skeptical but then I learned to accept the Professor's explanations. He can be most convincing." McCormick explained. 

    "Freshen your drink?" Seward asked. 

    "Please." 

    Seward shuffled over to the brandy cabinet with McCormick's glass, still asking questions. 

    "Well that's all business my boy. Tell me about yourself. Tell me about you." Seward pried. 

    "Well sir, there's not much to tell honestly. I dabbled in acting and in art before I found my true calling." McCormick replied. 

    "Quite right. Quite right. I wanted to be a sailor when I was younger. Can you believe that? A sailor!" Seward laughed again before regaining composure and poured a new drink, "What else can you tell me about yourself McCormick?"

    "Not much sir…seeing as how McCormick has been dead for a few hours."

    Seward frowned and turned to McCormick, dropping the brandy glass in fright. 

    McCormick was standing now, and at his height that was very imposing. But the things that Seward was transfixed by were McCormick's eyes and face. The ridges on his forehead stood out and were somewhat animalistic. Two small but sharp fangs protruded from his mouth. And his eyes, his eyes were now bright yellow. Seward was then shocked as McCormick moved to him in the blink of an eye, lifted him, and slammed him on the desk. 

    "Now what I said about bein' an actor was true. I'm one hell of an actor, boyo." The thing that was not McCormick said with an Irish Brogue. 

    Seward managed to find his voice, "W-What do you want?"

    He was backhanded in the face. 

    "Shh. I didn't say you could talk, but I'll answer your question anyway because I'm a kind man like that. Ya see lad, as you can see for yourself I'm a vampire. And I'm a very cruel vampire. Or at least I like to think so." The vampire smirked, "Now see, I heard tell that the Watcher's Council had been rounding up my kind and exterminating them. Word travels fast in the demon world. Now what do you suppose I felt like when I heard that? You can talk now by the way."

    "Y-You felt angry." Seward squeaked out. 

    "What was that? Didn't hear ya." The vampire growled. 

    "You got angry!" Seward said in a low shout. He was backhanded again, his nose bleeding heavily. 

    "No, no, no. I couldn't give a damn about what happens to vampires in London. I was indifferent. We could have all stayed on nice terms too, if you hadn't taken something that belonged to me." The vampire said putting a finer to the tip of Seward's nose.  

    Seward was confused. This made the vampire roll his eyes and lift Seward before slamming him down again, "You took my daughter, Drusilla. You know the mad one down in that little hellhole of a basement? Her. She belongs to me. But you still took her didn't you? You locked her up in a dark room, probably broke the doll she had with her that I'll have to replace now if I ever want her to shut up, and starved her for a few days. Oh don't get me wrong, I'm all for doing things like that to her. But I DO THEM. No one else is allowed. She's my toy. Mine to love, hate, destroy, or rape. She's MINE. Do you understand that?"

    Seward nodded his head slowly, fearfully. The vampire patted his head. 

    "Good dog. Now then, I was reasonably angry after you took my little darlin' girl so I put my ear to the ground. I have sources and I found that some fat little doctor was coming to see you tonight. I figured that was my chance in. And in I got. As for the illustrious John McCormick, well it's a good Irish name so I showed some mercy. Still, they'll be finding pieces of him for weeks. You won't be quite so lucky. You'll be coming with me when I leave this room. We're going to go back down to your little hell and get my Dru out. When we do, the three of us are heading out to my little coach and by the time they find the last piece of that fat little doctor, you might finally be dying in another country." 

    Seward swallowed and stared death right in the eye, "You won't get away with this."

    The vampire chuckled and his face resumed human features, "Yes, yes. I know. That's what they all say. The fact remains though, everyone who's said that to me is dead and I'm still here. Now then, let's go."

    The vampire jerked Seward up and placed his hand on the back of his neck, "Oh and get any ideas and I'll break your neck like a twig. Are we understood, boyo?"

    Seward nodded and with that the two of them were walking down the hallway back towards the lower levels. Occasionally, they would pass an orderly and the vampire would smile and make a joke and encourage Seward to likewise smile by squeezing the back of his neck. Soon they were back down in the dank hallways of the lower level. In the blur of Seward's mind, it was all too soon when they were at the cell of Drusilla.

    "Open it." The vampire ordered with a tight squeeze. 

    Seward fumbled in his coat for the keys to the cell. Slowly, frightened, and close to hyperventilating Seward slid the key in the lock and with a loud clank, it was unlocked. The vampire smiled and pushed the door open. Drusilla looked up suddenly and grinned from ear to ear in delight. She stood and pulled against the chains in her cell, with an almost intoxicating desire. It was all in her eyes as she looked at the vampire who had opened the cell. 

    "Daddy's come home." She giggled.  

    "That I have darlin'. Now tell me, how did a nice girl like you end up in such a dingy place as this?" 

    "They tricked me. Told me they had candy. I shant ever talk to strangers again, Daddy. I promise." Drusilla cooed. 

    The vampire smiled and then scowled slamming Seward against the doorframe.

    "Now, what the hell is this? Her dress is ripped. I actually BOUGHT that dress for her. How dare you rip it?" the vampire growled. 

    "But I didn't—"

    The vampire shoved Seward into the cell. 

    "Unchain her. We'll be taking our leave now." He growled in warning.

    Seward slowly slunk over to Drusilla's bonds and tried not to look at her as he fumbled with a second set of keys he had produced from his coat. He shuddered as he began to unchain the dark-haired vampire. She smiled and cooed towards the vampire in the doorway. 

    "Daddy, can I keep him?"

    "Perhaps for a spell, darlin', but remember you already have one puppy to take care of." The vampire replied with a superior smirk. 

    Within instants, one of Drusilla's hands was free and gripped Seward by the neck. 

    "We're going to have such fun. We'll have a party. With raspberry scones." The mad vampire cackled. 

    "Dru, my dear, he can't unchain you if you have him by the throat." The vampire sighed. 

    Drusilla dropped him and then patted his head with a smile, before turning a lustful gaze to the vampire at the door. She began to purr as she looked at him. 

    "I was naughty to get caught. I shant do it again. But I should be punished. I was such a wicked thing; I think I deserve to be spanked. It's the only way I'll become a proper lady."

    The vampire merely chuckled as Seward freed Dru's other hand. When she was completely free, she rushed to the doorway and savagely kissed the vampire in it. The vampire kissed her back, twice as furious, and then both their gazes fell on Seward. 

    "Get over here before I have to come there and take you. And if anyone asks, this is a patient transfer." The vampire growled. 

    On shaky legs, Seward walked to the duo and then the three of them began to walk upstairs. Seward was blissfully not at the end of the vampire's hand as he seemed more interested in Drusilla. This gave Seward the time he needed to plan and think. He needed help. He needed it badly. Swallowing he saw a possible escape. Three orderlies were gathered at the entrance of the asylum chatting. They were armed with Billy clubs. Standard equipment really. When Seward saw them he broke into a run.

    "Help me! Help!" Seward screamed as he ran outside to the men. 

    "What's all this then?" one of them asked in imperfect cockney. 

    "Langley, thank God you're here! You know about them! Two of them! Vampires!" Seward said frantically as the vampire and Drusilla exited the building and stood on the steps in front of them.  

    "I had really hoped to avoid this if at all possible." The vampire said, yawning. 

    "OOOOH! Three little pigs, the first made his house of twigs. You know what happened then don't you Daddy?" Drusilla cooed. 

    "I think I remember." The vampire chuckled and looked to his coachman, still sitting quietly, merely watching the developments, "Help me out here, "Basil"."

    "Hmm." The coachman began, "Seems to me that I remember correctly, the Big Bad Wolf came and blew their house in."

    He smirked as his ridges expanded and his eyes went yellow. Leaping from the top of the coach, he landed gracefully and snapped one orderly's neck before he had time to move. Another was just beginning to swing his Billy club when it was casually slapped out of his hands, the coachman moving much too fast. Fangs dug into his neck an instant later. The man was dead before he hit the ground. 

    Langley had managed to smash his Billy club into the head of the coachman in that time. The coachman barely stumbled and looked hatefully at Langley. 

    "That was probably a mistake, mate." The coachman growled grabbing the Billy club and breaking it over his knee. As Langley was in shock, the shattered edge of the club went into his chest, driving deep into his heart. The coachman smirked as Langley hit the ground, "Always wondered how humans would look with one of those in them."

    "My sweet, loving, and dear Spike." Drusilla smiled as she strode forward and ran a hand over his high cut cheek. 

    "Dru." Spike said softly, "I missed you pet."

    Seward was thrown violently into the side of the coach by the other vampire. Then the vampire walked to Drusilla and pulled her away from Spike. Spike scowled and looked at the larger vampire. 

    "I think you should get back to work, "Basil"." He smirked as he led Dru away, to the door of the carriage. Spike growled and climbed back atop the coach. 

    The vampire grabbed Seward by the hair and rapped on the coach door slightly, "We're here."

    The door opened and a beautiful blonde woman was on the other side. 

    "Yes I heard. You took your time." She said and with a slightly snobbish air regarded Drusilla, "She's filthy. She takes a bath before she touches me."

    "I think I may join her." The vampire smiled. Then lifting Seward up violently, he smirked, "I brought us a little entertainment."

    "Oh, good. You know how I love to watch you work." She smiled. 

    "Darla, you love everything I do." The vampire smiled as he threw Seward inside the carriage. 

    "Not fair. It's ladies first." Drusilla pouted as the vampire helped her in. 

    "There, there my dear. You'll get to help me punish him later." The vampire smiled as he climbed in slammed the coach door. Seconds later, it was in motion. 

     Seward began to weep bitterly. The woman, Darla smirked at that development. 

    "It's crying." She said smugly.

    "Good." The vampire stated, "Now then look up at me."

    Seward slowly, very slowly, looked up. The vampire's face was that of an evil smile. 

    "Now then, I want you to know that you'll never see the light of another day. Right now, you're ours to play with until you're broken. And then maybe we'll play with you a little more." The vampire smirked, "And now, for all intents and purposes, I'm God. So, you might want to start praying. It might help, but it's not likely to."

    "Darling boy, you forgot to tell him who he's praying to." Darla said, smiling just as wickedly. 

    "Silly Grandmummy, he's praying to Daddy." Drusilla smiled as she nuzzled at the vampire's neck and Darla sighed, rolling her yes. 

    "Yes Dru, but Daddy has another name." the vampire said before looking down onto Seward like an insect, "It's Angelus."

    Unfortunately for Doctor Seward, this is The End


End file.
